Silence & Darkness Review

Blind and deaf sisters Anna and Beth (respectively) are living a seemingly idyllic life in a small Vermont town with their widower father. Anna (Mina Walker) and Beth (Joan Glackin) are beyond close, to the point of being symbiotic. Musically talented Anna and gymnastics-inspired Beth depend on one another to be each other’s eyes and ears so to speak. The rapport between the two is so tangible. Walker and Glackin both submit amazing yet subtle performances.  Director Barak Barkan’s choice to not subtitle their sign language conversations is a smart one. The audience is reliant only on the actors’ successful performances to get the gist of their story.

Enter Father (Jordan Lage).  He arrives back home from a long day at work to be greeted by his daughters to a birthday dinner.  Immediately something seems……off.  Which is nothing that is not revealed by the trailer. He has some serious problems. Perfectly exampled by when he sings “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” to his daughters when they request he sing to them. “Don’t you know little fool; you never can win” is a lyric. Red flag number one.

Turns out Father is also the only Doctor in town.  This character, chillingly brought to life by Lange’s unsettling performance, is only referred to by either Father or Doctor.  He is depersonalized, which presents him as suspicious. We learn early on that he is a germaphobe….and is carrying on with an inappropriate relationship with a patient of his.  He is also shown recording an audio-journal entry regarding his daughters, which solidifies that he has been clinically observing them for quite some time. Ewwww.

After this the audience is shown (keeping this spoiler-free) several more instances where Father makes some very questionable decisions regarding Anna and Beth. One morning, a neighbor stops by and reveals a seemingly sinister secret which Anna overhears.  After overhearing the conversation, Anna actively asks about her mother’s death at the dinner table, to which Father gets enraged, then provides a very vague excuse about an illness.

Disturbed by Anna’s new distrust in him, Father makes a decision that leaves Anna alone for several days and he and Beth at a hospital based on an illness Beth has, according to him.  Anna thrives, but also reveals that Father believes that the biggest issue facing the world is new disease. New disease happens on an infinite level daily according to Father.

Anna is strong and copes well despite being initially devastated by being separated from Beth. However, when Beth and Father return….Beth is in obvious physical and mental trauma.  Anna tries to reconnect, with not much initial success.

The final act is well-executed yet predictable.  The film is fast-paced with a running time of around 80 minutes.  The performances make this an amazing indie psychological horror-thriller. Also, this film is incredibly beautiful.  Muted tones of rain-soaked forests and meadows, the perfect interior of the home in which most of the film is set, and even the warm aesthetic of the brief town scenes are so inviting. This makes the overall chilling message of the film that much more impactful. The sound effects are also particularly effective, specifically because the film’s main protagonist is blind. The nighttime sounds of the nearby forest are soothing and alarming at the same time.

Silence & Darkness is a fantastic indie contribution to the psychological thriller/horror library. For fans of the genre, the twist will be evident. However, the perfect lead performances and mesmerizing atmosphere make up for that. This film is definitely worth watching.